Network device for sharing multimedia data with other network devices existing on network and method therefor

• US 20070050500A1
• Filed: 08/30/2006
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Rhim, Eun-hee, Na, Kwang-yun, Rim, Dae-hak
• Granted Patent: US 8,654,793 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06

Abstract

Network devices and methods are provided for sharing multimedia data with other network devices existing on a network, in which a network device shares and uses multimedia data with other network devices, collects information about multimedia data contained in the other network devices and requests the transmission of multimedia data from a network device containing the multimedia data based on the collected information at the request of a user. The network device may include a network device management unit for collecting information about multimedia data; a multimedia data management unit for preparing a multimedia data list; a packet generation/processing unit for generating a packet requesting multimedia data; and a transmission unit for transmitting the generated packet to a specific network device.

Claims

1. A network device for sharing multimedia data with other network devices existing on a network, the network device comprising:

a network device management unit which collects information about multimedia data from the other network devices;

a multimedia data management unit which prepares a multimedia data list based on the collected information about the multimedia data on the other network devices and information about multimedia data on the network device;

a packet generation/processing unit which generates a packet requesting selected multimedia data on the multimedia data list ; and

a transmission unit which transmits the generated packet to at least one of the other network devices existing on the network.

2. The network device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a command input unit which receives a selection command; and

an output unit which outputs the multimedia data list and the selected multimedia data according to the selection command to a display.

3. The network device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the network device management unit determines whether the information about the multimedia data on the other network devices varies.

4. The network device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the multimedia data information management unit generates a mapping table in which the multimedia data list and the information which is collected about the multimedia data are mapped to each other.

5. The network device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transmission unit requests the information about the multimedia data from the other network devices in a multicast or a broadcast manner.

6. The network device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the network device receives the multimedia data that is requested from the at least one of the other network devices.

7. The network device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the network device is connected to the other network devices via the network and the multimedia data which is requested from the at least one of the other network devices is transmitted to the network device via the network.

8. The network device as set forth in claim 4, wherein the network device transmits multimedia data to at least one of the other network devices in response to a request for a multimedia file stored on the network device.

9. A method in which a network device shares multimedia data with other network devices existing on a network, the method comprising:

collecting information about multimedia data from the other network devices;

preparing a multimedia data list based on the collected information about the multimedia data on the other network devices and information about multimedia data on the network device;

generating a packet which requests selected multimedia data of the multimedia data list ; and

transmitting the generated packet to at least one of the other network devices.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, further comprising receiving the multimedia data which is requested from the at least one of the other network devices and playing the multimedia data that is received.

11. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein the generating the packet requesting the selected multimedia data comprises:

determining a location where the selected multimedia data is stored;

outputting and playing the selected multimedia data if the location is within the network device which requests the selected multimedia data; and

generating a packet which requests transmission of the selected multimedia data from the at least one of the other network devices if the location is not within the network device which requests the selected multimedia data.

12. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein the determining the location where the selected multimedia data is stored is performed with reference to a mapping table in which the multimedia data list and the information about the multimedia data are mapped to each other.

13. The method as set forth in claim 9, further comprising determining whether the information about the multimedia data on the other network devices varies.

14. The method as set forth in claim 9, further comprising requesting the information about the multimedia data from the other network devices in a multicast or broadcast manner.

15. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein the network device is connected to the other network devices via the network and the selected multimedia data from at least one of the other network devices is transmitted to the network device via the network.

16. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein the network device transmits multimedia data to at least one of the other network devices in response to a request for a multimedia file stored on the network device.